any optimal brand of brake pads?

[fenixus]

I noticed my brake pads started slightly squealing (not often yet though). I assume it's the front ones, wearing much faster than rear ones.

Last time I got front set replaced was in Firestone when putting on new 4 tires in Dec '06 @ 45k miles (now its 66k) ...
rear ones I believe were never touched (est. wear about 20% by the shop at time of inspection).

What brand of front brake pad set do you recommend? I've seen some nice EBC sets. which type do you suggest I should get? organic, ceramic, kevlar? what's the real difference? all i need is they last long, brake hard and do not squeal.

well, since some time I started doing some stuff myself at my ride (saving money on labor LOL) and I am thinking about doing it myself this time. seems all i need is a C-clamp (got the socket tools set already).

[touringcamry]

Inspect your brakes before you go and replace them. Just because they squeal doesn't mean they're worn. Twenty-thousand miles seems fairly short for brakes to wear out but it really depends on how you drive and the quality of the pads.

My recomendation would be either Akebono Pro-Act or Hawk HP. I had the Hawk HP pads and they were more aggressive than stock so the car stopped better. After 50000 miles they were only about half-worn but I did a lot of highway driving. I think Akebono Pro-Acts may be quieter but not as aggressive and less dusty but I haven't used them. Can't go wrong with either one though. Another option would be to go with stock pads.

I dunno about EBCs. If they're racing pads, don't get them because they don't work well until you heat them up.

[fenixus]

thanks touringcamry, as always helpful man!

i didn't know that racing pads work well only when hot... still learning automotive tips&tricks stuff
those EBC's look like racing ones (and expensive), so I will avoid them.

this car did most of miles of those 20k miles (4/5 or more) on highways, the rest was stop&go city traffic.

the pads Firestone mounted were described as (reading from bill):

Basic Brake Job - front pads (organic)
PD707 Ceramic Disc Brake Pads, article 7004281 @ $34.99

and i got 10% discount for part & labor (@ $105) due to fact it was organic ...
not sure what they gave me but it doesn't sound like a stock pads set, does it?

this looks closes to description (Wagner pads, same p/n PD707):
http://www.autoparts2020.com/rsdev/p...T_HDR_ID=47550
however price 50% higher, perhaps I got a cheaper version or something.
anyways, they were good for 2 years, but since a few months i noticed weakened braking power (longer distance) whcih already frightened me once on highway sudden emergency.

I prefer quiet & strong brakes, so after I check up on current wear, I think I would try Hawk HPS pads. where did you get them from (both AZ and AAP have only some cheap crap i think) ?

hmmm... they seem to be distributed only by local specialized stores, no chain stores at all... found one local 3 miles away from me. sent them a price inquiry.

you know, i have no garage, so if i want to change brake pads myself i can do it only when weather conditions allow, meaning in winter i takethe car to a shop ... unless i will be willing to freeze my ass off when doing so ...

[CROYCE992]

if you are changing your brakes then maybe you want to consider doing the ls400 break upgrade? the calipers in those brakes have more pistons which means breaking power.

however since you are doing it yourself and if you dont want to complicate a simple brake pad change then i would recommend the ebc green stuff 6000 or 7000 which is meant for cars less than 200bhp and are a lot more friendly than their yellow, red stuff. i have only read good reviews about the company which does make racing pads too.

[fenixus]

Originally Posted by CROYCE992

if you are changing your brakes then maybe you want to consider doing the ls400 break upgrade? the calipers in those brakes have more pistons which means breaking power.

however since you are doing it yourself and if you dont want to complicate a simple brake pad change then i would recommend the ebc green stuff 6000 or 7000 which is meant for cars less than 200bhp and are a lot more friendly than their yellow, red stuff. i have only read good reviews about the company which does make racing pads too.

I think i'm not yet there to upgrade anything as of yet hehe
i'm still very new to fixing cars ... it will be the first brake pad change on my own lol ... so far i was letting others do it (and take my money ), so i figured it's time for a change

wanna keep it as simple as i can and use something confirmed good with a little more braking power over stock pads (and no darn squeaking until they are ready to replace) and also lasting long.

I was looking at EBC green stuff in some online store (which auto parts store is good price wise?), not that expensive. are they good? I have some organic pads now and have to say i don't like them (reasons above, edited).

[CROYCE992]

i would try a discount auto parts retailer in your area or ebay which i checked and seems to be around 70-80 each for front and rear

[fenixus]

what i found so far (regarding EBC) is this online:
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/sk...n+%26+Steering
$77 with free shipping (not sure about tax in NJ).

I'm looking for front pads only, rear should be still good, maybe I will get them done next time (need to check all pads first to make sure what i need and when).

nothing in local stores like AZ, AAP, Napa, PepBoys... they all carry similar stock of Wagner, PBR, Beck/Arnley, etc.
they have no Hawk, no EBC, nothing anywhere...

[JohnGD]

If your front pads last only 20-25K miles then I think these are lower density pads. Not that they're bad, but they should brake quiet well if they're ceramics or semi-metallics. Akebonos should last 60-90K miles in typical driving.

I'd recommend Akebono ProAct. Their performance version, Akebono Street Performace is a stronger GG friction rated vs the FF ProAct, but in normal driving I don't see that much advantage. (And you want all corners of the same type of pads). I heard one owner bought Toyota pads, and they were the el cheapo Akebono EE rated ones!

www.tirerack.com also has Hawk pads.

www.akebonobrakes.com

Originally Posted by fenixus

nothing in local stores like AZ, AAP, Napa, PepBoys... they all carry similar stock of Wagner, PBR, Beck/Arnley, etc.
they have no Hawk, no EBC, nothing anywhere...

[touringcamry]

Have you checked out Tirerack? They have Hawk and Akebono brake pads.

They also have the plain face Brembo rotors if you decide to change them. I haven't found a reason to justify the added expense of drilled, slotted, or other special rotors on my daily driver.

[fenixus]

just checked tirerack and found Hawk HPS (front set) for $70 which seems cheaper than EBC green stuff in other stores (everywhere at $77). didn't check akebono. what should I pick so I won't regret it?

you know I for sure have different pads in front vs rear, is it bad?
I assume different braking power in front and rear makes some difference ... crap, seems i will be getting a full set of four pads soon. I am pretty sure that when backing up (and braking) squeaking comes from rear almost always in mornings (pulling out of parking lot).
but since a few days i think i am hearing squeaking from front too (when driving forward and braking), rare but still.

small problem, why Hawk HPS and Akebono SP are for fronts only? i don't see rear kits in tirerack...

Hawk HPS ($70 tirerack has only front kit) vs EBC Green (both kits ~$140 in e.g. www.car-stuff.com) vs Akebono SP ($65 only front kit again) vs Akebono ProACT (both kits less than $100 - cheapest option) - what to choose?

I leave rotors as they are for now. next time I will be messing with such stuff, for now they look not bad (quite flat to touch and look), will isnpect them when checking wear of all pads.

...

wait, just found both kits of Hawk HPS in here:
http://www2.partstrain.com/store/?PN...universal:0%29
$120 for both front & rear

Akebono ProACT:
http://www2.partstrain.com/store/?PN...universal:0%29
$84 for both front & rear

they seem not to have Akebono SP at all

but they also have EBC green (why green? not that i don't like green color hehe but why?)
http://www2.partstrain.com/store/?PN...universal:0%29
$139 for both front & rear.

is it like always that i'm getting what i'm paying for? meaning Akebono ProACT are worst, then pricewise through Akebono SP and Hawk HPS up to most expensive/best (EBC green)?

[popeye08]

Amazon.com is my favorite and becoming a good website for automobile parts. I got my Hawk HP for $58.3 with free shipping, it was sold by Amazon itself, now it may sold out. The pads are very good when heat up.
You may also check with other pads on this site.

[touringcamry]

Honestly, I don't think it'll matter much if your front and rears don't match. Heck, good luck getting matching front and rear pads.

I can pretty much guarantee that my rear drums and front disc brakes didn't match in material. That plus the drums were way out of adjust for the longest time and I didn't even know so they weren't even applying much force. At 60000 miles, my rears had almost no wear on them because they were out of adjustment. When I put them back in adjustment, the brake pedal felt quite different.

If your rears don't need replacement yet, I would just replace the front pads now.

The rear discs on my 07 Camry squeal the first time I brake backing out of my driveway if I don't drive for a few days. I just attribute it to rust building up on the rotors.

[fenixus]

all right. it seems first i really have to see how worn the pads are hehe, then i will think of ordering new ones (above links are for price comparison within same shop, good search engine they have) and finally replacing them.

glad to hear i don't have to worry about front vs rear mismatch of pads material. I'm leaning towards getting Hawk HPS, want something above average but not for a rip off price (like EBC yellow and red stuff). will check amazon too for better prices, just not tonight, i can barely see anything now ...

thanks for help!

[fenixus]

one last question (i think), does "organic material" mean softer than "ceramic material" ? i'm trying to rule out EBC green stuff due to price and looking for a good excuse
it may happen that i pick Akebono ProACT on the end hehe, but still considering options.

now i'm really off to bed ... geez making decisions on car parts is tougher than i thought... it's not like with computers where you replace everything every 2-3 years and you good ...

[RU2CHKN]

Hawk HPS ftw!